Driving to the park yesterday, Christine and I listened to sports talk in hopes of hearing something that would tell us how wet we were going to get and how long the game would be delayed.
Instead, we got another reason Christine can't stand talk radio. There was a guy insisting that the Phillies should platoon Ryan Howard because he can't hit lefties. He didn't go so far as to suggest trading David Herndon for Albert Pujols so the Phils would have a first baseman against lefties, but he was very annoying.
So, with minimal delay or rain, Christine and I found our way to our seats (after we stopped to say hi to Nats fan Joe Wolf's Vertical Jump, who was somewhere in this picture) to see Howard battle a tough Nationals lefty, John Lannan. He homered in the first inning and had an RBI single in the 3rd. Against the Nationals righty relievers, Howard went 0-2 with an intentional walk.
I know none of that proves anything, except it reminds me of that saying about opinions and an anatomical part. Yeah, everyone has one, and some are more inclined to share them without any hint of self-concept.
Back to the game. Well, the rains held off for the Phils to win 11-3 against the Nats. It was a very sloppy game, of which the less said the better. Besides, there was plenty of stuff going on in the stands to distract us from the game that featured three errors (all Nationals) and nine walks (mostly Nationals).
It wasn't a banner day for antiquated jerseys - just Aaron Rowand, Jamie Moyer, Ruben Amaro Sr. and a few Jim Thomes, including a pair of couples in which both women had a No. 25. ... The most interesting shirt we saw was a David Herndon jersey. Joe Wolf took this pic and said this guy's a regular in his section. There's no doubting his Phanhood. ... One lady in our section had a bedazzled Phillies hat to complement her "Designated Kisser" shirt. ... The Amaro shirt was an odd spot. I had to check that it was correct because it's odd to see anything other than Schmidt with a No. 20.
Amaro and his son were among a bunch of former Phillies who were brought back for alumni weekend. Christine and I didn't know quite a few of them but noticed most of them lived locally, as if the alums could only come if they paid for their own transportation to the game. ... It was funny seeing Scott Eyre among the old-timers. Christine was interested to see Charlie Hayes after he was announced, but he never came out. We wondered whether he decided to skip the ceremony to keep sampling the fare at Garry Maddox's barbecue cook-off going on outside.
Walking into the park (we were ducking a few drops at the time), a guy rushed passed us and caught my attention. I realized he was carrying a yellow T-shirt and figured the vendor was probably late for work. ... Inside, we were behind two jerseys, "Brittany" and "Sammy." Christine was going to comment, but she realized that those were regulation uniforms for the Phillies ball girls. ... The QVC singers did the anthem. Funny, upon arriving at the park we sat in the car for a while to try to wait out the rain. We did that before a game two years ago in which TV's singing salesmen also did the anthem. They sang well.
Michael Stutes has a new bag to bring goodies to the bullpen. He had been using a nondescript bag, but I guess his mates must have read his Twitter comment a few weeks ago that he would carry an embarrassing pink bag if they asked him to. Stutes pitched two innings in relief of Roy Oswalt. The Phillies 8th inning ended with him on deck. Christine was hoping to see his first major league plate appearance, but Wilson Valdez grounded out.
The Phanatic reprised his Lady Pha Pha bit. That's always a crowd pleaser. ... By the way, one more note on Ryan Howard: In the six games we've gone to since Trent, he has gone 7-22 with three walks, two homers and eight RBIS. Platoon his butt!
We're staying home today, keeping dry and waiting for Trent to come home from his sleepover at Grandmom's. He has a little surprise waiting for him. Two words: Wiffle Ball.
